Monthly Best Read: January 2017

Well it is the first on February. Hope everyone’s new year is going good. It seems to be that time of month again. To chose the best read of January, the first of 2017. I mostly read a bunch of Mariana Zapata this month so many of my runners will be her’s. I do love her writing.

Choices:

• Kulti
• Under Locke
• Lingus
• Blackwood

Winner Lingus by Mariana Zapata

I don’t think I have ever smiled so much while reading a book. It happens to be the only book this month to get my first 5 stars this year. I love both characters. This is also the only book that has come close to beating The Wall of Winnipeg and Me in my favorites.

  Runner ups:

• Blackwood by Celia Aaron
• Kulti by Mariana Zapata
• Under Locke by Mariana Zapata

Looking forward to February. I have a challenge that I am doing called All the Books. It will be showcased at the top of my home page if you want to follow my progress throughout the month. I have so far I think 7 books planned for the challenge.

Have a fantastic February.

 

 

Challenge: All the Books (Goodreads)

As it says above, this is a Goodreads group challenge. I am in a group called Challenge Corner and this is the group I will be participating in challenges throughout the year. As before I will list their rules and point system but I will also have a couple rules of my own to help challenge me further.

This is a team challenge but I will be posting my individual points up on here.

Rules (Group)

• Books must be read and reviewed between February 1-28th.
• Books must be at least 100 pages to count.
• Graphic novels, manga, and books written in verse do not count for this challenge.
• Categories may be repeated.

Rules (Mine)

• DNFs do not count
• No rereads.

Pints

• One point for every book that fits a category.
• One point for every buddy read
• Two points for reading the group book of month (in addition to point you receive if it fits category).
• Five points for every 1000 pages read.
• Books started in previous months may be counted for pages only.

Categories

• Historical fiction
• Fantasy
• Science Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Red on the cover
• A 2016 or 2017 debut
• New to you author
• Number in the title
• Name in the title (this means a given/first name)
• A classic
• A book with a character that shares your first name
• A book recommended to you.
• A buddy read
• A book read in school
• Female author
• Male author
• A book that has been adapted for film
• One word title
• Over 500 pages
• An award winner
• A collection short stories.

My books

1. Preppy: The Life & Death of Samuel Clearwater
   • Published Oct. 25, 2016
   • Category A 2016 or 2017 debut
2. The Fairy Tale Bride
   • Category Historical Romance
   • Victorian Era
3. Fateful
   • Category: Fantasy
   • Vampire and fairies
4. Snow and Ash
   • Category:Science Fiction
   • Dystopia
5. Not in Kansas Anymore
   • Category: Red on the Cover
   • Red doll on fire on cover.
6. Keep
   • Category: One word title
7. Let it be
   • Category: New to you author
8. Forbid me
   • Category: Female author
9. Reign
   • Category: Female author
10. The Wedding Date
    • Category: Male Author
11. Black Ice
    • Category: Book Recommended to me

Pages:

Final count: 1681

Points:

Final count: 10

Petals on the Wind by V.C. Andrews

My edition: Library book
Pages:439
Series: Dollanganger #2
Rating:2.5 stars
Synopsis:

They were such brave children to withstand such suffering. Such clever children to escape such terror!

For Carrie, Chris, and Cathy, the attic was a dark horror that would not leave their minds, even while they built bright, promising new lives. Of course mother had to pretend they didn’t exist.

And Grandmother was convinced they had the devil in them.

But that wasn’t their fault. Was it? Cathy knew what to do.

She now had the powers she had learned from her beautiful mother. She knew it in the way her brother still yearned for her, in the way her guardian touched her, in the way all men looked at her.

She knew it was time to put what she knew to the test. To show her mother and grandmother that the pain and terror of the attic could not be forgotten… Show them.

Show them-once and for all.

Review: The first half of this book took me some time to get through. I really didn’t like Cathy in this. She kept going on about the men who loved her and how she looked like her mother and how she learned the charm her mother had. How she was going to get revenge on her mother for what she had done. Blah blah blah.

Cathy was also vindictive. Everything that went wrong in her life she blamed it on her mother. She sent letters to her mother, saying hateful things. It seemed so utterly pointless. She could have saved herself from a lot of heartbreak if she would have pulled her head out of her ass and pay attention.

If you really want to know what this book should have been named, I will give you a one liner.

CATHY, YOU DUMB IDIOTIC GIRL, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!!

I liked Flowers in the Attic, this one not so much. I hope If There Be Thorns is better than this. Because I have been reading this since January 12. It has taken me awhile to get through this with Cathy and her revenge and Cathy’s stupid decisions.

I’m taking a break from this series. I have lost interest at the time being.

Magnate by Celia Aaron

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages:250
Series: Acquisition #2
Rating: 3.5 stars
Synopsis:

Lucius Vinemont has spirited me away to a world of sugar can and sun. There is nothing he cannot give me on his lavish Cuban plantation. Each gift seduces me, each touch seals my fate.There is no more talk of depraved competitions or his older brother- the one who’d stolen me, claimed me, and made me feel things I never should have. Even as Lucius works to make me forget Sinclair, my thoughts stray back to him, to the dark blue eyes that haunt my sweetest dreams and bitterest nightmares. Just live every dream, this one must end. Christmas will be soon here, and with it the second trail of the Acquisition.

Review: That ending flipping sucks. I hate cliffhangers. Good thing the next and final book is out. I think it’s the final book.

Stella has switched her ownership to Lucius. Some people have hinted that Lucius is worse than Sinclair but I haven’t seen it. The second trial happens in this one. The Christmas trial which is rumored to be the worst. I think it is. Totally barbaric this whole Acquisition event.

Anywho, I think this one is better than the first book. A little more developed. Still hasn’t really explained the history or the rules of the Acquisition. It has given more hints to why it is and what happens when someone is Sovereign.

With the ending though, I understand now why Sinclair is being an asshat and why he can’t lose. Heck with that first rule I wouldn’t want to lose either. Sadly that is the only rule that is given away in this book and it was the mother effing cliffhanger.

Well on to the next one.